The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the selection of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to administer an US$ 18.5 million offshore wind research and development (R&D) consortium. NYSERDA is partnering with the Carbon Trust and The Renewables Consulting Group (RCG) in the development of the Consortium, which will further be supported through a public-private partnership including the offshore wind industry, utilities, research laboratories, and other states.
The consortium is a cooperative innovation hub to advance offshore wind plant technologies, develop methods for wind resource and site characterisation, and develop technology solutions for installation, operation, maintenance, and supply chain. The overall goal of the consortium created by DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is aimed at reducing the cost of offshore wind in the USA. This research will focus on conditions such as:
- deep water, where floating foundations are required
- areas where the seabed conditions are not well understood
- the impact of hurricanes on the East Coast
- challenging environments for installation and operations at sea.
NYSERDA will administer and coordinate the collaborative R&D activities of the consortium, which will include offshore wind industry members that will use the research findings to further advance technologies that can reduce the cost of offshore wind in the U.S. market. DOE is also providing an additional US$ 2 million to DOE’s national laboratories to support consortium R&D activities.
